Have you ever heard someone attribute one’s success to luck, connections or serendipity? It implies that this person seemingly had an obstacle-free path to achievement. In rare occasions, this may be true, but most often it is a person’s ability to overcome adversity that was the key to their success. They did not avoid or ignore obstacles but learned to outthink them. To “outthink” is defined as thinking better or more accurately than others.

When faced with an obstacle, remember these three things:

Be Positive:
We can outthink our obstacles by anticipating both happiness and success. With this positive mindset, you increase your confidence so that you can overcome any adversity or difficulty. When we believe in our ability to outthink our obstacles, we can more easily explore our resources to arrive at a solution. Haven’t you found that the more positive you think the more positive results you get? By choosing to outthink your obstacles by staying positive, you will have a greater sense of what’s possible and begin to open your mind to new options!

Be Persistent:
One of my heroes, tennis legend Bjorn Borg said, “My greatest weapon is persistence. I never give up and fight until the last ball. The habit of persistence is the habit of victory.” Another mindset needed to outthink our obstacles is persistence. Persistence stems from the belief that our talent and intelligence are the foundations and that achievement comes as a result of effort, experimentation, and determination. By adopting this mindset we become more resilient, work harder, and as a result, we will achieve greater success. We must be persistent in evaluating the strategies that work, get rid of strategies that don’t work, and keep going no matter what! My friend, Bob Whelan lost his legs in the Vietnam War and despite this devastating injury he participated in numerous marathons by running on his hands. When he completed the New York marathon a reporter asked, “Don’t your hands hurt?” Bob answered, “Only when I take my eyes off the finish line!” Bob reminds us that we can outthink our obstacles by staying focused on the possibilities instead of the problems.

Be Patient:
Successful people outthink their obstacles by understanding the value of patience. They realize that the greater the opportunity the greater the time it will take to achieve it. I saw a great example of this recently when speaking to a group of Medical Device Sales Professionals. They had a compelling theme for the event. Their theme was Manage Your Impatience! This message resonated with the group because often it often took over a year to complete a sale. This sales team saw that patience was a formidable resource and a key to remarkable results. It has been said that “Unsuccessful people want to arrive before they make the trip.” Peak performers outthink their obstacles by mastering the skill of patience. In our fast-paced, ever-changing world patience remains a valuable virtue!

The next time you are faced with a struggle; remember, don’t surrender, outthink the obstacle!